Ribbon spool



March 12 1940. CE. BEZANSON RIBBON sP ooL Filed Dec. 50, 1957 INVENTOR CLAUDE E. BEZA/VSON ATTORNEY Pdtontod Mar. 12, 1940 PATENT OFFICE moon srooi.

Claude a. Bezanson, West Hartford, Conn, s.-

signor to Underwood'Elliott Fisher Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 30, 1937, Serial No. 182,395

3 Claims.

This invention relates to ribbon spools for typewriting and other recording machines.

The principal objects of the invention are to improve the construction and reduce the cost of manufacture of ribbon spools, and to produce a spool which will meet all the requirements in such machines and which may be manufactured mainly or wholly of sheet metal by inexpensive operations with a reduction in the number 01' parts as compared with prior constructions.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in a ribbon spool embodying the novel ,and improved features hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the advantages of which will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The invention ,will be clearly understood from the accompanying drawing illustrating a ribbon spool embodying the invention in its preferred .form and the following detailed description of the construction therein shown;

In the drawing:

Figure l isa view in side elevation illustrating a spool embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded view in front elevation illustrating the several parts oi the spool;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the spool taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 4; and

Figure 4 is a view in front elevation partly in section of the spool.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the spool is made entirely of sheet metal.

The spool indicated as a whole at i, is provided with twoside flanges 2 and B to confine the ribbon, with a central barrel or hub 4 upon which the ribbon is wound and with a bushing 5 which forms a bearing for the spool. The spool is made up of the members 6 and i and the bushing 5 which secures the said members together in assembled relation. Uponthe members 6 and 1 respectively are formed the side flanges and projections constituting parts of the barrel.

The members 6 and 1 are each made from a strip of sheet metal cut and stamped or died into the desired shape. In the construction shown, the side flanges are each made with a substantially flat body portion, with a lateral bend 9 at the outer margin and with an annular rib or bead Ill adjacent the said margin. The side flanges are each provided with openings H to receive the driving pin of the spool driving mechanism ofthe typewriter and with a central openina i2 to receive one end of the bushing 5 which secures the members 8 and I together.

The barrel is made up of interfitting projections extending from the sheet metal of the side flanges. As illustrated, each of the members 'I and 1 is formed with two projectionsit generally wedge or sector shaped in outline as shown in Figure 2. These projections are formed by cut- .ting the sheet metal of the side flanges along the lines It and iii to form initially the projections,

shaping the same in cross section as shown and bending the metal laterally of the corresponding side flange. The lines It are substantially parallel with radii to give a general sector shape to the projections. The incision lines M forming each projection are preferably located so that the arc struck from the center of the side flange and embraced by the inner ends of these lines is cons derably less than With this construction sufliiclent metal is left connecting the portions of each side flange outside the barrel to the central portion thereof to constitute a strong support forthe former portions of the side flange.

The projections it are bent into positions sub, stantially perpendicular to a side flange and are given a shape in cross section conforming to the arc of a circle of substantially the same radius as the radius of the proposed barrel. Each of the projections preferably is constructed to form substantially one quarter of the barrel and the projections on one of the members 6 and i are complementary to the projections on the other member, each of the projections on one member being arranged to fit accurately between the adjacent side edges of the projections on the other member. The members 8 and i are fitted together in substantially the manner shown in Figures 3 and 4 with the projections on one side flange engagingbetween the projections on the other side flange to form the barrel. The side edges of the projections on one of said members abut against the side edges of the projections on the other member and the ends of the projections on one member engage the side flange on the other member to maintain accurately the spacing of the side flanges;

The members 8 and I are secured together in the positions shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4 by means of the tubular thimble or bushing 5. This bushing consists of a section of tubular metal stock out to the required length. When the members 6 and I are fitted together in the mannerabove described, this bushing is inserted through the openings I2 and the ends of the bushing are riveted over the side flanges in the manner indicated at I 8 in Figure 4. The members 8 and 1" are locked together by the interfltting engagement oi the projections II and by the bushing l thereby forming a strong and rigid structure.

The sheet metal from which the projections ll are produced is punched to form apertures ll in the barrel for receiving the hook, attached to the end of the ribbon to secure said end to the spool.

The openings in the side flanges formed by bending the projections l3 into position, enable the ribbon on the spool to be kept visible at all times.-

The ribbon spool above-described is composed of three parts only, namely the members i and I and the bushing 5. The members 8 and I may be rapidly and cheaply produced from sheet metal stock by cutting and stamping or dieing operations and the bushing I consists of ordinary tubular metal stock -of any desired material. The members 6 and I and the bushing 6 :may be assembled and secured together by simple operations. The spool structure has the strength and rigidity to meet a l requirements in recording machines and may be manufactured at a considerably reduced cost as compared with prior construction embodying the invention in its preferred form, what is claimed is: w

l-. A ribbon spool comprising members made of sheet metal shaped to produce side flanges and interlocking projections stamped from the arcane a sheet metal of the side flanges. wider at the portions remote from the corresponding side flanges'and interflttingto form a complete hub portion and having their ends in engagement with the inner faces of the respective side flanges to spacethe same and a tubular bearing mem- 7 her engaging in central openings in the side flanges and riveted over the same to hold said members together.

2. A ribbon spool comprising opposed members made of sheet metal and having side flanges formed thereon and interfltting projections stamped from the sheet metal of the side flanges, extending laterally from said side flanges to form a barrel and having their edges in interlocking engagement, the projections being'shaped to hold, by their contact, said members from relative movement in directions axially of the spool to carry the side flanges away from each other and having their ends in engagement with the inner faces of the respective flanges to space the same and a central tubular metallic bushing securing the said members together and forming a bearing portion for the spool.

3. A ribbon spool comprising two member made of sheet metal shaped to produce side flanges and interlocking complemental sectorshaped projections wider at their portions remote from the corresponding side flange stamped from the sheet metal of the respective side flanges, extending from the side flanges in interfltting relation and having their edges in engagement and their ends in contact respectively with the inner faces of the opposed. side flanges and means independent of the projections to CLAUDE E. IBEZANSON. 

